When did boxing become sexy again?

[Denn Forever]

Have you noticed that boxing appears to be sexy again?  ITV and RTE are showing boxing again on Saturday nights.  Maybe it is the good role models that the boxers have now become e.g. Amir Khan.

A few years ago you would only see boxing on Sky.  Now it is on terrestrial TV.  What happened?

[Billys Boots]

Don King got a haircut. 

[Longshanks]

Just think it is more to do with the fact that better boxers are coming through and there was a lull where young boxers were working their way through and then Hatton, Kahn and Calaz hit the big time and were and are able to challenge the Americans..

Also people have started to notice the Heavyweight isnt the only division (it's actually awful at the moment, slow to watch and little skill)

[ziggysego]

Andy Kaufman made boxing sexy.

[Tony Baloney]

It's really been on the back of terrestrial tv showing the likes of Ordinary Harrison and Amir Khan following decent showings in amateurs. RTE obviously threw their weight behind Mr Hunky Dory!

[bingobus]

SKY have signed up Khan so we'll not be seeing much of him again.

Prob to do with the vast number of World titles on offer as well, everyone seems to be fighting for one and this frees up the lesser title ie Commonwealth, Europeans, Hunky Drory belts etc. Plus i'm sure the rights are cheap to buy so RTE and the UTV's can buy them.

[MayoMan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZPH14zZi9M&feature=related

[Tankie]

The last few years boxing has really picked up again, i think it is due to the quality of boxer around again!

[downgirl]

John Duddy...mmm...and the sexy Derry accent on him as well

[fred the red]

John Duddy...mmm...and the sexy Derry accent on him as well

Is there any men you dont have a thing for you hornball! 

[Minder]

John Duddy...mmm...and the sexy Derry accent on him as well

Surely a contradiction there........

[downgirl]

John Duddy...mmm...and the sexy Derry accent on him as well

Is there any men you dont have a thing for you hornball! 

Yea...Tyrone men especially Mugsy with thon bleached blonde hair and beard.

[orangeman]

Darren Sutherland has lost his Olympic Middleweight semi-final to Great Britain's James DeGale by a score of 10-3. The Dubliner was simply outclassed on the day despite a brave effort, finishing the Games with a bronze medal.

Sutherland and DeGale both started the tie with extreme caution, feeling each other out and waiting to work out each other's tactics.

Both fighters held close guards in round one and only managed to offload one score each leaving it at 1-1.

Round two was a similar story with Sutherland playing a waiting game looking for gaps in DeGale's armour.

A sweetly placed right cross punch put DeGale into a 2-1 lead. The second round was extremely cagey; the familiarity the two fighters share after five fights had bred ultra caution.

Just prior to the end of the second round, Sutherland lost another point to yet another DeGale right hand leaving the score at 3-1.

The third round was where the fight was won for DeGale. Sutherland was yet again too cautious and was throwing punches off the back foot too far from Degale to cause any damage.

DeGale then saw his opportunity to strike. With a flurry of combination punches DeGale soared into a 4-1 lead. Then with Sutherland struggling to land a punch at all, DeGale's left hook crept through Sutherland's sometimes disappointing guard to leave the score at 8-1.

Sutherland pulled a point back at the end of the round, leaving the score 8-2.

In the fourth round the tie was all but over barring a knock-out. Sutherland finally came out of his reverie and began to attack DeGale, alas it was too little too late.

DeGale - sensing the tie was won - danced away the last 2 minutes. However, the impressive Briton still had the opportunity to land two more snappy left jabs to leave the final score at 10-3.

Sutherland's tactics were exposed in the semi-final; after what was a wonderful Games for the Dorset Street fighter. However, the Dub announced this was only the beginning after the fight, stating that he now intends to go professional.

[orangeman]

Irish light-flyweight Paddy Barnes will have to be content with a bronze medal in Beijing after losing against China's Zou Shiming in Friday's semi-finals.

The Chinese gold medal favourite claimed a comprehensive 15-0 win over the Belfast fighter.

Barnes chased Zou all over the ring in the first round but still found himself 2-0 down despite landing a great shot.

Zou picked Barnes off during the rest of the bout although the Irishman later dubbed the final margin a "disgrace".

In the immediate aftermath of his defeat, a furious Barnes claimed that he didn't "care about the bronze medal".

"They can keep it for all I care," added Barnes, who blasted the judging in the bout.

  We're in China so what do you expect

Paddy Barnes

"They (the judges) should hang their heads in shame.

"There's no doubt I lost the fight by miles but not scoring a point?

"I'm getting drug tested here. The judges should be getting drug tested.

"But we're in China so what do you expect."


The 21-year-old Irishman came out fighting in the first round and he certainly looked as though he had landed one good shot on the Chinese fighter.


Zou picked up six more points in the second round although the brawling Barnes, once again, appeared to be unfortunate not to have got on the scoresheet.


It was more of the same in the third round at Zou racked up five more points and kept the increasingly ragged Barnes scoreless to increase the lead to 11-0.

The pattern continued in the closing round as the defending world champion progressed to the decider.

[Gaoth Dobhair Abu]

FFS orangeman, thats the exact same post in three different threads!!
You chasing Ziggy's total or something?